


Colourblind

by Aoibot



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Typical deaths, M/M, Soulmates, Spoilers for the whole damn game, ive never written angst!, whole cast is here but unimportant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 03:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12497844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoibot/pseuds/Aoibot
Summary: SPOILERS FOR NDRV3 UP TO THE END OF CHAPTER 5 *edit - spoilers for the whole thing now*Soulmates AU - You can't see colour until you come into physical contact with your soulmate. When your soulmate dies, you lose the ability to see colour.Saihara never expected that he would meet his soulmate in a killing game.(ive been told i cant indent without hell, so if anyone has trouble reading the format, read it here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W-DLNHYWjYLJDiu0SZErk7DvwoAmVlCnHcSVXrhW9DU/edit?usp=sharing)





	1. Spark

**Author's Note:**

> hmmm!!!!!!!!! hi ive never written angst but also this first chapter isnt angsty its the second one that will be angsty which will HOPEFULLY BE UP LATER THIS WEEK OR WEEKEND

No one could have possibly expected to find their soulmate in a killing game.  
I mean, no one should ever expect to be put in a killing game. It’s not really something that happens every day. When we all met, there were, of course, whispers of finding soulmates. Whenever something strange happens, people seem to expect that they will find their soulmate. Most people in this world are focused mostly on finding their soulmates- honestly, the whole world is. In a world where your love life is planned out, it’s obvious that people cannot wait to find their one true love. But in a killing game?  
Of course this was fated to happen to me. I was always one of the few people who appeared to have very little interest in having a soulmate. This was, of course, a front I would put up in order to make people take me more seriously. Just like every giddy teenage girl (which I was not anymore), I was waiting every moment of my life to find my soulmate. Who didn’t want to find out who they were fated to spend their lifetime with?  
The problem was, of course, that I happened to meet my soulmate in a killing game. We didn’t know we were soulmates until we came into contact, no one does. But ever since I first saw him standing in that classroom, joking with the robot boy, I felt some sort of special connection. I never really had a chance to talk to him until Kaede died, for she was determined to take up every moment of my life, despite not being my soulmate. No one else had found theirs in this place, but she was more than excited to be friends with me. When she died, I cried my eyes out, thinking it would be impossible to go on. But I kept going.  
And oh, thank god I did. With all the free time I was granted in this horrible place, I deigned to spend all of it with Ouma. He intrigued me, even beyond the special sort of soulmate pull. I was glad that he was up for it. He obviously had no one else to hang out with, as everyone else was too afraid of his personality to willingly spend time with him. I like to believe that we became close, in this peaceful time before seeing Hoshi eaten up by piranhas. After the second trial, after seeing Kirumi lose everything in her last moments, I resolved to answer the burning question in the back of my head.  
Ouma gave me the perfect opportunity when he stabbed his finger. He, too, tensed up in the moment before I took his hand. I think he knew that something would happen. And something did happen. The moment my fingers lifted his pale hand to bandage it, I nearly fainted from the experience. He said nothing and I said nothing, so I could bandage his finger first. He stared at me the whole time, and then continued to stare. I took in that moment to truly take in my surroundings- the blood red walls of the third floor, the dark purple of Ouma’s hair, and even more gripping, the lighter shade of his beautiful eyes.  
“Saihara… You eyes are the most beautiful colour,” Ouma said, stony faced. His face told me that he was not lying about this one. I laughed,  
“Well, it’s not like there’s many colours to see here. A-and, uh, I think your eyes are beautiful, too…”  
He stared at me, for a minute or more, before breaking into a grin,  
“Well, I’ve just decided that your eyes are my new favourite colour, nishishi~” I blushed, trying to stammer out a reply, before he stood up and turned away from me.  
“... Let’s agree not to tell anyone else about this, hm? It’s not everyday you meet your  
in a killing game, is it?”  
“Wait, why not? I mean, everyone would be excited…” He didn’t turn back to look at me. He just stood there, thinking about something, I assume.  
“Please,” he finally said.  
“I mean… Alright. But we’re not ignoring this, right?” I tried to get an answer from him, but he just walked away.  
I had a hard time sleeping that night. My heart and mind seemed to be at war with each other. The rational side of me said this was all so stupid, either of us could die at any time, and we shouldn’t try to start anything. But my heart was beating out of my chest, so excited about all the colours I could see, all my thoughts of Ouma. When I finally fell asleep, I had reached the conclusion that I would try to talk with him about this in private the next day, but be as rational as I could.  
Of course, that proved impossible the moment we found Angie’s dead body in her lab. We were too focused on investigating. I wish I could’ve followed him after he ran away after Tenko was murdered, but I had promised to help Harukawa. It was hard not to point out all the colours in my speech, even though still had trouble telling what colour was what. Keeping this a secret from everything was going to be trouble, and I would have to speak to Ouma as soon as this trial came to a close.  
The morning after the third trial, I awoke with only one drive, that I would speak to Ouma this morning. But after swiping the keycard, he proceeded to disappear for the whole day, ruining my chances of conversation.  
I should’ve expected that he would also try to make a move. When I was readying to sleep that night, he broke into my room. He stepped in and slowly relocked the door, before staring up at me with that blank expression of truth. I let him compose himself so he could speak first.  
“I’m not trying to ignore this, you know. And that is not a lie,” I could already tell he was not lying, from that blank expression he only used when telling what he believed to be the truth.  
“I just,” he began, “I never actually expected to find my soulmate. And to think it was my beloved Saihara all along..” I blushed at that. Beloved…? Was I that important to him?  
“I’m so happy~! My beloved Saihara, my soulmate~ Is he in love with me, I wonder?”  
“W-well, I mean, I’m supposed to be, right? We’re soulmates. That means we’re destined to be in love from the beginning, forever. So I guess I can say that… I do, uh. Love you,” I stumbled over all my words, his presence alone making me blush. It’s like after that first form of contact I became that much more attracted to him, just now noticing how cute he is, how soft his hair looks.  
“My beloved Saihara, he loves me~ Good thing I love him too!” Ouma so quickly expressed his love, but it was impossible to know if it was a lie. I hoped it wasn’t.  
I seemed to be right, as he took a few steps forward, to stand right in front of me. He was quite a few inches shorter than me, so it was impossible for him to look imposing. He grinned up at me, like he was expecting something,  
“Well? Is my beloved Saihara going to kiss me~?”  
If he wanted to, I would comply. So I took his hands in mine, and bent down, leaning in as he stood up on his toes. I’d never kissed anyone, and it was likely he hadn’t either, so we were sloppy. It took us a few tries to understand how to properly kiss, but once we had, I felt like I was floating. My heart was beating out of my chest, so close to it’s soulmate that it so badly wanted to touch. Ouma unlinked our hands so he could wrap his arms around my body in order to pull me closer. I complied, choosing to run a hand through that soft, beautiful, purple hair.  
Everything was bliss. Although I had my eyes closed, I felt in this moment that I could see every colour at once. I kept seeing that same beautiful purple of Ouma’s eyes in my mind. The need for air found us sprawled on my bed, both a mess and blushing vibrant red. I was so happy I could see all the colours at this moment, so happy that I had found my soulmate, my Ouma.  
Even after the nighttime announcement, Ouma refused to leave my bed. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to his warm body. I didn’t have any reason to complain, allowing my arms to wrap around his small body. He shoved his face into my chest, letting out a small smile and a sigh.  
“I am happy, Saihara. That is not a lie. My heart says I love you, and I will follow it,” he breathed out. I smiled into his soft hair,  
“I’m so happy. So happy, Ouma. You… you make this place almost bearable.”  
He opened his eyes and smiled at me, before frowning.  
“Hey, Saihara, Your eyes. They’re really a very lovely colour, but, what colour are they?”  
“... How am I supposed to know? I got my colour vision the same day you did. I only know purple and red.”  
“Purple?”  
“Yeah, the uh, the colour of your hair. And eyes.”  
“Oh~? My beloved Saihara learned a colour just for me?”  
“Well… I really love the colour of your eyes, too.”  
“Nishishi, that’s so sweet Saihara~ Hey, can I call you my beloved Shuuichi?”  
I blushed crimson at that, nodding into his hair before realising he can’t really see me nod,  
“I… Don’t mind. Just not around the others, especially since you don’t want them to know about us, ok?  
“Of course~ And you can call me Kokichi, if you want. Your beloved Kokichi, hm~?”  
“Mm. My beloved Kokichi.”  
He laughed, and then yawned,  
“Shuuichi, I’m getting tired…”  
“Do you want to go back to your room?” I answered.  
“No…” he yawned again, “I want to stay here… With my beloved Shuuichi.”  
I let him stay. He was already in my bed, cuddling with me. It couldn’t hurt to let him stay the night. It was so comfortable lying together. It was almost like our bodies were made for each other, except for the fact that they really were. We were soulmates, after all. Everything was made for each other, and nothing could go wrong. I gave him one more kiss before letting the warmth engulf me in sleep.

I awoke, confused by the warm body pressed against me, before recalling the night before. The night I truly found my soulmate. Ouma- no, Kokichi was still fast asleep, his small body curled up like a cat’s against mine. I softly smiled at him, before remembering that I had been awoken by the morning announcement, and that everyone would be gathering in the dining hall soon. The problem here was that if they both didn’t show up, people would be suspicious. And if someone caught them both exiting from my rom, we’d be super dead. I almost couldn’t care about this, looking at Kokichi’s peaceful sleepy smile.  
I shook him awake anyway, and let him cry about how mean I was. I exited my room first, after getting properly dressed, to check and see if anyone was around. There was no one in the dorm hall, so I let Kokichi exit as well, and we walked towards the dining hall together.

Things got both better and worse after that night. Better, because Kokichi and I would cuddle and sleep together, reveling in the love we shared. We would sit up at night, discussing the colours we saw and what they all meant. But worse because when it came to the whole group, Kokichi had changed. I had expected him to want to search the virtual world with me, so we could have the time together, so when he went off with Gokuhara I was confused.  
And when we returned to find Miu’s suffocated body, I wanted nothing but to crawl in bed with Kokichi and cry. He offered to investigate with me, which made Momota mad, but it certainly made me happy. It was as fun as investigating a murder could be, with Kokichi by my side.  
But he changed again in the trial. He became defensive and mean, and when I found out what he had done to Gokuhara, I felt betrayed. But after seeing his reaction after Gokuhara was gone, I knew he, too, was conflicted. I invited him to stay with me, and he did. We didn’t talk that night. I just sat with him and watched him cry real tears. When he finally spoke, it barely made any sense. He just said he had some sort of plan, and that I would just have to watch.  
When he brought the electrohammers to us, I was proud of him, as opposed to the suspicion the rest of us had. I thought his plan was brilliant, and I was even more proud when we managed to reach the end of the hallway. But what greeted us on the other side truly broke me inside.  
Kokichi’s reveal of the outside world, his being the mastermind, and the attack on Momota was too much for me. When he disappeared with Momota and not even a word to me, I broke down and cried. The others thought I was crying about Momota, and I could not tell them the truth. I did not see Kokichi at all after that. I tried my best to stop Harukawa from killing him, but I did agree with her plan to break in and rescue Momota. I was filled with apprehension when I laid in bed that night, secretly hoping Kokichi would break into my room that night. But nothing happened.  
Nothing, that is, until morning, when I awoke in a world of black and white.


	2. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER FOR THE END OF THE GAME

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unplanned canon divergence fun times!

I blinked. My head hurt. I felt dizzy, and sitting up in bed took work. I tried to make sense of what was happening. It was so suddenly strange, to be without colour, even if I had only known it for a few days. And then I realised what that meant. My heart stopped beating. I stopped thinking. Something inside me broke when I realised that this loss of colour meant that Kokichi had died.  
I let myself cry. Oh, if only I hadn’t ignored him these past days. But I was too afraid to see him, not afraid of him, but afraid of what he would do to me in this state. He was unstable and, frankly scary. But I was scared of letting myself see him, help him. I had sat and waited for a miracle. and now that I had waited, he was dead. Kokichi was dead. My soulmate was dead.  
The morning announcement had come and gone, but I continued to sit in my bed, crying until I could cry no more. When I heard my doorbell ring - the signature seven times that could only mean Harukawa or Momota - I dried my tears the best I could. I yelled that I would be ready in a moment, so I could clean my face. I don’t want anyone to know I know he is dead. Because knowing Kokichi, he has some sort of plan. No one knew we were soulmates, so I don’t have to tell them that we were.  
Harukawa seemed as on edge as I was, but for a different reason. I knew how much she had become attached to Momota in this place. I briefly wondered that they could be soulmates, but no, Momota would have said something. She was worried that he would be dead. I was worried that in Kokichi’s last moments, he would find a way to trick us into believing Momota was dead. Or they were both dead.  
So when Harukawa yelled at me to break the wall, I knew what we would find. Some sort of horrific crime scene befitting of Kokichi. Some ridiculous plan to trick us all, maybe even to trick himself. Maybe to trick the mastermind, said the part of my brain that was so sure that Kokichi could not be who he claimed to be.  
I don’t think I expected to see a dripping puddle of blood, extending from the base of the hydraulic press. Nor did I expect to see Momota’s coat sleeve hanging out. Neither of the two were in sight, but I knew, and so did my heart, that the one under the hydraulic press was Kokichi. Harukawa was falling to pieces, believing it was Momota. When I tried to tell her my thoughts, she seemed to think I was crazy. If it weren’t for the colours I saw, I would’ve thought I was crazy, too.  
I debated telling her about my colourblindness, but decided instead to go along with Kokichi’s plan. I did not know what this plan was, but I was so sure in my heart that it was the right idea. I did not know where Momota was hiding, or why he was collaborating with Kokichi, but I believed in him. I investigated as much as I could, for both the truths and lies. I knew I would have to lie, for Kokichi.  
What was hard to decide was proving who was dead. All the evidence except for my sight pointed directly to Momota. It was a very clever setup, one in which Kokichi had most definitely planned for me to keep my mouth shut about colour. He probably did have some sort of countermeasure in place in case I did speak up, but I hoped that he had believed in me that much in the end.  
The hardest part, however, was deciding between revealing the truth and aiding in Kokichi’s plan. I had always devoted my world to uncovering the truth of this place, but Kokichi was my soulmate. He meant so much to me, and I wanted to honour his memory. I hoped that maybe the two would overlap. Maybe the truth was hidden in Kokichi’s plan. Well, if he remembered to factor me into that plan, it was certainly possible.  
Spirits sunk when we gathered in front of the fountain. Momota still hadn’t show up. Harukawa wasn’t speaking to me, and Keebo was speaking almost too much. I thank him now for trying to lift the spirits, in a time in which we don’t even know who of us is dead. Yumeno had certainly gotten better at expressing her emotions, but at this time she seemed to be trying to calm her fear. And Shirogane- well, I was never quite sure what she was thinking. Shirogane was almost as big of a mystery as Kokichi.  
When our initial discussion of the body went sour, I was expecting Momota to show up at any moment, and tell us that he in fact wasn’t following Kokichi’s plan. His refusal to show up was scaring me. It was nothing like the Momota I knew. This could only mean that I was completely right about Kokichi somehow getting Momota to follow some plan of his. If this plan was so important, I would follow it.  
And then the exisal showed up, speaking in Momota’s voice, and I was confused. Confused that Momota would reveal himself in this way- was his body in some sort of poor state? Had his illness gotten him to the brink of death, too scared to show his face? But then the voice changed and oh, I felt like crying. My heart beating out of my chest, my vision flickering almost, like I could see just a little bit of purple. I shook my head, trying to stave off the tears, hoping no one would notice.  
I couldn’t comprehend what was happening, even with the exisal obviously having a voice changer. Here I was, hearing my dead soulmates voice. It was causing my heart to go crazy, beating out of tune, colours popping in and out of my vision. My head was in such pain, dizzying, I could not focus. Harukawa definitely noticed something going on with me, her eyes narrow and dark. But she turned to look at the exisal, leaving me to my secret. She was as broken about hearing Momota’s voice as I was from hearing Kokichi’s.  
Everything went downhill from here. With Momota pretending to be Kokichi so perfectly - he must have some kind of script - it all became so confusing. Everything he said could be a lie, the truth, or something more. I hung off of his every word, picking through the details, trying to understand Kokichi’s plan. Trying to understand why Momota would follow the plan.  
When Harukawa explained her connection to the case, I was heartbroken. That she would try to kill Kokichi, after I worked so hard to help her recover from the attack. I tried so hard to change her mind, but she was determined to rid the world of him, it seemed. It’s possible, then, that her plan had worked, that she indeed killed Kokichi, not Momota. But I don’t believe that- if Harukawa was the murderer, then what would Momota’s motive be? No, he must be using Kokichi’s plan to save Harukawa, in some way. That’s who the Momota I know is.  
There were too many factors in the case. It was impossible to tell lie from truth, with Momota’s acting. Every word that stumbled from the exisal’s speakers was three-dimensional, filled with truths and lies. I found myself lying in every word I said, knowing the only way of telling the truth would to come clean about my vision. But I kept my mouth shut. There was too much too this truth, too much it could reveal or change. I wanted to see what Kokichi was thinking.  
This whole time, I was noticing tining little mistakes. I was less focused on finding the truth I already knew, so it was easier to see the little issues. I could’ve brought them up. I could’ve told everyone about the break in the video and the camera angle. The strange feeling Keebo felt, the possibility of one of the electrobombs shutting off the press’s safety feature. It seemed Momota - or, more likely, Kokichi - expected me to point out this little details. Whenever the the conversation went dark, the exisal would point itself towards me, waiting. But I sat and thought and cried internally and my head felt like it would explode and there was so much pain.  
I was in pain from lying. Lying about seeing no problems, lying about basically everything that was happening. But if Kokichi could spend his whole life lying to himself and others, why couldn’t I? After all, we were soulmates, made for each other, lies and all. So I shut off my heart, stopped the beating, stop the shifting colours. I knew Kokichi was dead, and no one else did, and I would keep it that way.  
“... Ouma,” my voice cracked as I was the first to break the silence, “What is the point of this class trial? It is so very obvious that you killed Momota, so there must be some other reason for this. You’re not stupid.” The exisal stared at me, silent, before slightly nodding it’s robotic head. I think Momota was starting to understand that I was going to help him and Kokichi and their plan.  
“The point?” came the sound of Kokichi’s voice from the exisal, “Why, to figure out who killed Kaito Momota of course~ Although, like you said, it’s obviously me. So let’s just vote already! Ok?” I was ready to comply, but Harukawa took that moment to speak up,  
“I don’t believe that we are ready for that. There are things I have been thinking about, and I know Saihara knows more than he is letting on. What have you done to him, to make him work for you?”  
“Harukawa, I really don’t have anything else to say. Everything lines up with Momota as the victim and Ouma as the culprit. There is just no other way.” She was silent for a moment, staring at her feet, like she expected me to laugh and say, “Of course Ouma is the victim! Momota would never die!”  
“Then should we just get on with the vote?” Keebo spoke up for the first time in a while. “If there’s nothing else to discuss then… We can just end it here, yes?”  
I looked around at everyone. Harukawa’s blank, yet sad expression. Keebo, trying hard to keep calm. Yumeno looking as confused as anyone could possibly look. Shirogane… Actually, she seemed to be lost in thought. And, of course, Momota in the exisal, with no face to be seen.  
“Shirogane?” I began, “Is there something you’re thinking about? You seem like you have something to say.”  
“Oh, me? No, I was just… I was just thinking about how horrible Ouma is too have done this, of course. It’s really just awful, isn’t it?” She replied. Something about her answer had me on edge, but I decided to let it slide until we had voted. But then, Momota spoke up, in Ouma’s voice,  
“Hey, Monokuma~ Just to clear something up, what happens if the ringleader gets the culprit wrong? Just in case you, perchance, were unable to see who it was… And if we vote wrong… Wouldn’t you also be wrong, hm~?” Monokuma started sweating and trying to find an answer, but I was more interested in watching Shirogane- she twitched when Momota spoke his piece. She looked scared. Like she knew something.  
“Well,” Monokuma finally said, “I guess then… You would have to execute me? If it’s even possible for me to be wrong, upupu. But if that’s not satisfying enough, then if I’m wrong, how about I tell you who the real ringleader is?”  
“Seems fair to me~!” Replied Momota, “I’ve been dying to know who the ringleader is, since it’s definitely not me!”  
The discussion came to a close, the ballot screen displaying all of our faces. Out of everyone here, including Monokuma and the ringleader, only Momota and I knew the truth. He had let out the true reason for this trial right there- to fool Monokuma, and expose the ringleader. And after that, I guessed, Momota would get to live and I would have to spill the truth to everyone. I was sure they would hate me. For once, I had hidden the truth from my friends.  
As I pressed the button on Kokichi’s face, I tried to tell myself I made the right choice. That this would further the search for the truth, that it would prove to everyone who the ringleader is. Although, I think I already knew. There was only one person who showed such a reaction, after all. If Monokuma really didn’t know who the victim was, then the ringleader obviously didn’t either. That meant we won. Kokichi, Momota, and I, we had fooled the ringleader as best we could, and could only hope it amounted to some kind of truth.  
The monitor showed a unanimous vote for Kokichi.  
“Well then. Let’s see who is in that exisal already, right Ouma?” Surprisingly, Shirogane was the first to speak, being very forward. I didn’t even try to feign surprise as we all turned to the exisal. I knew exactly who was in there.  
When the roof lifted and Momota stepped out, I heard Yumeno scream. Harukawa cried out in some form of despair and happiness. Shirogane stayed silent. I laughed.  
“That certainly went well, huh, Momota?” I asked. He turned to me, and joined in my laughter.  
“Man, I wasn’t sure if you were gunna help us out or try for the truth. I think you made the right move. After all, Ouma was your soulmate, wasn’t he?”  
There was the reaction I expected. Everyone except Shirogane turned to me, with fearful expressions. I gave a small chuckle.  
“It’s true, guys. I’ve known Kokichi was dead since I woke up this morning. Technically, I wasn’t in on his and Momota’s plan, but I decided to do my best to help. I’m so sorry for fooling you. There certainly were many mistakes I could’ve pointed out in order to find this truth, but I decided this answer was closer to the truth than the real thing.”  
“You knew Momota was alive this whole time,” Harukawa spoke, “and yet you did not tell me?”  
“It would’ve ruined the plan, Harumaki. It was better that you think me dead,” Momota returned. “And besides, even though we won this battle, and Monokuma will tell us who the ringleader is, I’m afraid… That I don’t have much time.”  
“Don’t have much time?!” Harukawa cried. “What do you mean by that? If you are here now, alive, that means Ouma gave you the antidote. You should be fine!”  
“Harumaki…” But as Momota tried to speak, he started coughing, a horrendous sound, and when he drew his hand from his mouth blood was dripping everywhere. “I can barely stand, Harumaki. This virus is going to kill me at any moment. But no execution will, so I believe that to be a win, eh?”  
At that moment, Monokuma spoke up,  
“Well this certainly didn’t go as planned! But I’m sad to say that I can’t tell you who the ringleader is. That’s not my job.”  
“You may not be able to,” I began, shaking as I spoke, “But I believe that I can. After I explain everything.”  
Everyone shut up and turned to me, although Harukawa had walked over to stand next to Momota so she could help him stand.  
“Before our journey into the virtual world, Kokichi and I discovered we were soulmates. That’s how I knew he was already dead this morning, for I woke up in black and white. But when we found the bloody press, I understood that Kokichi and Momota had formulated a plan. Is that right, Momota?”  
“Well… The whole plan was of Ouma’s design. I mostly agreed to save Harumaki from being the culprit, but in the end, I’m glad I went with it. Maybe we’ll know the truth now.”  
“Thank you for deciding to help him, Momota, because we are now so much closer to the truth. Anyways, when I figured that they had a plan, I decided to keep my mouth shut in order to help them. I wanted to see where this plan would go, to see if it would get us to the truth. And it did.”  
“So,” Monokuma said, “does that mean you’ve figured out who the ringleader is before I could even tell you? Upupupupu..”  
“I know exactly who the ringleader is. But rather than expose them, I’d prefer to make a compromise.”  
“Oh? What’s this? The detective hiding from the truth.” His words stung.  
“I’d rather have you treat Momota. After helping us so much, I think he deserves to live, seeing as you got the victim wrong, Monokuma.” That shut him up.  
“Well…. As long as you promise to tell absolutely no one who the ringleader is, I’d be happy to fix him up!” I turned to my friends. They had been quiet, and I wanted their input.  
“Well… Guys. I think we’ll find another chance to expose the ringleader, but this is our only chance to save Momota.” Keebo and Yumeno nodded. Shirogane and Momota himself stayed silent. Only Harukawa spoke up,  
“You know I would sacrifice anything to save him, Saihara.”  
So we did. We sacrificed this perfect opportunity to remove the ringleader and escape. But with the chance Kokichi gave me to figure out who it was, I knew we would get a second chance. After all, this is what Kokichi would do, wasn’t it? He would prolong the game in order to figure out every aspect of it. And there was so much more to be learned. With Momota back with us, I was sure we would achieve it.  
When he handed me the script Kokichi wrote, I finally did burst into tears. This was the last memory of my Kokichi, this book filled with all of his wonderful words. I would cherish this for my whole, colourblind life. Kokichi was gone, but he lived on inside my heart, pounding, this time, in tune with my life. No colour flickered, no headaches sprouted. But I knew he was watching me from beyond, guiding me in the right direction.  
With Kokichi’s help, I knew how to end the game with as many survivors as possible. All I had to do was trust my friends and myself. I would trust in Kokichi and the truth he provided me. I would do my best to prove the falsities of this game.  
Shirogane would not last forever against the power of soulmates born from truth and lies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall im so goddamn proud of myself. this is the longest thing ive ever written and it came out great. i had so much fun writing these two. i wish i coulda included the others in this more, but it was meant to be about saihara and ouma alone. i debated making the ending longer, or making a third chapter, but im happy where its at
> 
> thanks so much for reading and all the lovely comments!! support means so much to me. 
> 
> more saiouma stuff is on the way!! hopefully, the road trip will be up next


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